seeking out, tasting, creating, and sharing delicious food. occasional tangents into music, movies, and other wholly relevant topics.your hosts (excited just to be here!): "The Academic" James & "The Dilettante" Matt

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Tuesday, 15 January 2013

Disappointing Kitchen Appliances - A Bamix Rant (Light At The End of the Tunnel/Stick Blender Love/Hate Transmission)

I recently upgraded our stick blender (sometimes called an immersion blender). And learned a lot.

First, a whinge: I bought
a Bamix a few years ago – in awe of the prestige, and the wonderful reports I’d
heard. It wasn't cheap, either - somewhere in the ballpark of $190 (and this was not even the top of the line model!). Upon using it, I was so terribly disappointed. Why is it that "good brands", "prestige", and "word of mouth" persevere like old wives' tales - regardless of whether it is warranted or not? Do people seriously just listen to other people and parrot the same opinion?! OR DO THEY JUST NOT KNOW ANY BETTER?!

Ultimately, I *knew* my new Bamix was
just a stick blender, but the box and website claimed it would do so much more than just blend. It was claimed with the
included blades you could, at minimum, beat, emulsify, cream, chop, mince, puree, strain, mix,
crush, etc. Honestly, that is a load of baloney.

The Bamix *will* puree soups/liquids, and very well. It does
do some of the more esoteric/unnecessary-in-a-stick-blender things like beating, emulsifying, creaming, etc –
but how well? And aren't those things easier to do by hand/with other equipment that you're already using for that particular recipe? It's like when the Vitamix tells you that it can knead dough - hysterical LOL. I bet it can, but WHY WOULD YOU KNEAD DOUGH IN THE VITAMIX?! If the lack of correct technique doesn't put you off (not slow, steady kneading - instead it's quick, jumpy, blade-slicing mixing), doesn't the mess?! Does it seem rational to have to scrape out sticky, gooey dough from the bottom of a gigantic, sharp-bladed blender?! Anyway, I digress...

Regardless, the Bamix does not chop or mince vegetables well,
no matter what they tell you. I’ve tried everything. I've even tried deliriously cutting up tea-towels to use as a skirt to protect my kitchen from flying, poorly "chopped" vegetables. I've tried blending in the dark. And sadly, upon calling
the company, they were very cagey and unhelpful on how to perform these
functions – and little advice is available on the internet, least of all, their website. The best result I achieved
when trying to “chop” carrot or onion was an uneven puree of some whilst leaving others in
large chunks/watching the rest fly around the room.

Sucker for punishment that I am, and not just content to just let their misleading claims go,
I bought some of their ridiculously overpriced accessories (a couple of years ago when I bought it, the blender came with almost nothing but the stick itself), and perhaps
unsurprisingly, they didn’t work particularly marvellously either. The mini
processor/grinder was a), way too small to process anything of any substance,
and b), didn’t do a good job. You couldn't have too little in it, or too much, and expect any consistent result. THEN, they suggest to you that for “really
grinding”, you need to buy the POWDER/GRINDING DISC to put in the DAMN OTHER
THING YOU JUST BOUGHT. It’s just an endless scheme of expensive accessorising.

The design of the Bamix is terrible, too. It is so dangerous – you can
easily process/puree your finger/hand because safety has not even slightly been
taken into account – the metal, bulged-out buttons are too easy to accidentally press when you're ordinarily holding it, and you have to pull blades on and off with your fingers wrapped around them (imagine doing that
while you knock the button and it's plugged in). It also doesn’t come apart for easy cleaning. To
clean it, you have to drag the whole thing, cord and all, to the sink, whilst attempting to not get the upper half wet. The
design of the blade & housing also means that when you’re pureeing something hot, you regularly splash yourself, too. Charming and fun, particularly when you’re making
a coulis, jam, etc. I love hot sticky splashes that burn your skin slowly but
surely. I always wanted pink freckles (not).

Bamix. All one piece, top-heavy, solid. But check out those hard to avoid, easy to knock buttons.

The Bamix will last in the long-run. It has
a great motor and is quite sturdy, but, if you’re being reasonable about what you can
expect from a stick blender – you don’t need something this expensive/impractical.

Solution: Let There Be Light!A Cordless, Stick-Blending Light!

BUT - the wonderment of life and Christmas-time meant that I decided it was time for an upgrade. Call me selfish, but buying presents for so many other people makes me much more willing to buy myself a "present". For so long, I've wanted a cordless stick blender.

All I can say is - just do it. Take the plunge. We got a Braun 7 series stick blender rather inexpensively from a major department store, and for around $80 (HALF the price of my Bamix). The pack included a mini food processor attachment that was at least double, if not triple, the size of the Bamix attachment I had to *buy*, and with a better, more useful blade. Even the included Beaker was bigger than the Bamix. And it wasn't overkill. I don't need a stick blender to come with 10 power settings, a whisk, a dough hook, and everything else - I just need something to do what it says on the box.

Braun in charging dock (without the blade! Because that has been taken away, for washing! HOW PRACTICAL!)

The design of the Braun is so much better - the metal around the blade is built in a wavy pattern, meaning that it doesn't splash you - no matter how small the amount you're blending is. And you can take it ANYWHERE with you, because it is cordless (it recharges from a "docking station"). I could bring it to work, if I wanted! I could puree shirts in a Department store, if I wanted (OH NO WHERE WILL THIS END?!). And the metal blade half comes off, for easy washing/immersion in the sink without worrying about the electrics up top - and you can recharge the top part WHILE you wash the bottom part!

In terms of safety, it's also much better. The cordless nature of the Braun meant that it *could* have been much more dangerous, but they've cleverly designed it so you have to hold a "lock" down, whilst pressing the "on" button at the exact same time. It requires a deliberate light pressure (unlike the Bamix), but is still easy and uncomplicated to do.

Don't get me wrong - I still love kitchen appliances. All of them, even the impractical ones. Ultimately, I don't necessarily expect an appliance to perform miracles.I just wish companies would be more honest and realistic about what their products will actually do. Overall, I'm much happier with the Braun, and could have saved myself a lot of money from the outset with the bonus of a more functional device.. Now - don't get me started on the mystique/practicality of the Vitamix...

Epilogue
Of course, the evening after I wrote this only semi-literate rant, I was making Dreena Burton's excellent Thai Chickpea Almond Curry. As I was doing it, I had to open a giant new container of nut butter. And you know how the oil is always at the top, and it's not mixed through well? Easy, I thought, as I grabbed my Braun and attempted to blend the peanut butter back into a consistent mix. It turned out that it wasn't quite that easy. The Braun really struggled, and didn't really mix it well, whereas the Bamix would have not had the slightest problem performing this task quickly, and consistently. So, the Universe has a sense of humour. Even if I don't. GOOD THING I HAVEN'T GIVEN AWAY THE BAMIX YET, RIGHT?! RIGHT?! *manic laughter*.

UPDATE:So, of course, after about 5 uses, the Braun stick-blender has completely died, and won't charge, or hold charge. I guess it's now time to return it and consider another brand.

Just to prove I never learn - I'm now considering a Dyson vacuum...

Have you been duped by the prestige of kitchen appliances? What is your philosophy when it comes to purchasing these kind of things?

73 comments:

Many years ago I had a cheaper vacuum cleaner. Then I upgraded to a Dyson in 2003 and it's still one of my favourite purchases. My mum has a 'good' vacuum cleaner, she vacuumed with it then I immediately went over it all with the Dyson and the Dyson barrel was full of dirt afterwards. So Dyson wins my vote :)

Mum has a Bamix stick blender from years ago and you're right, there's not much you can do with it despite the marketing claims!

My one big splurge, with no regrets, was a Blendtec blender when it was on special somewhere (but still cost over $700). To date I'd bought cheaper blenders that all crapped it too quickly and they couldn't handle ice and they'd leave big chunks of stuff. I'm in love with my Blendtec and I can sneak all kinds of veg, like spinach, in to smoothies with no telltale bits floating around. I use it for juices, smoothies, grinding, pureeing, for nut milks, dressings. I don't know if I'd ever use an appliance like that to knead dough, much prefer doing that by hand :)

I always want everything but fortunately I have moderately good control and I'm also cheap. I research extravagantly before I buy, but you never really know until you get the thing home whether it will live up to the hype. My kitchenAide blender, in my opinion, didn't work well and self-destructed way too soon. The vacuum we bought after extensive research (not Dyson) drives us a little nuts. The stick blender I picked up in a resale shop for $6 works great and I love it. Go figure. I do love my Vitamix most of the time but sometimes I wonder if I should have bought a Blentec. (Not being able to make up my mind is another problem.) Right now I'm looking for a hand mixer and new dishes. I would probably stir the nut butter with a knife.

Ha. Some of it definitely comes down to luck! My *OLD* Kitchenaid Blender (maybe about 5 or 6 years, now?) was really, really good - best thing outside of a BlendTec or Vitamix, but after getting the Vitamix, it doesn't really come close!! I would definitely next time get a Blendtec. I feel your pain!!

The problem with the nut butter here is they pack it right up to the top - so the oil spills out over the sides... not good!

We got a stick blender for $5 from a garage sale, and it's always been pretty great for our needs! A removable blade for washing would be nice, but I never really considered that until now. I would love to get a vacuum-cleaner-robot, because we have a lot of cat, dog and human hair around our house and I kind of hate vacuuming, but for now the price tag puts me off!

I'm very glad I read this as I had been lusting after a Bamix when my cheapy stick blender gives up. I think the problem is always as you point out when things try to be too multifunctional. I love my Vitamix for sauces, smoothies, pureed soups and grinding, but find the design impractical for either small amounts or sticky things (I would buy a very small container for it like a shot, if one existed). And, i just do the PB thing with a fork! :)

I love my hand held blender - think it might be a braun - I had lusted after a blender that came with a proper beaker and finally worked out that I could buy a cheap tall thing plastic jug and it would work as well. But now I really want a cordless one because the cord always never quite reaches far enough - and I use the little mini blender attachment quite a bit so this has become essential too

Bamix make a Mincer blade which will chop up fresh vegetables into little bits,

I think my Swissline is great, I use the Wet/Dry Mill for processing fresh herbs and vegetables into a Salsa or Pesto.

When I clean any of my appliances or change blades I disconnect them, Common sense is a factor but we all need to remember to keep a safe work practice at home and at work. let remember an Iron sole plate is hot and you don't touch it.

I love my Bamix I put Almonds and Seed into the jug with Milk and Fruit and mix into a smoothie, I like it that way. My Wife prefers the Seed and Almonds put through the mill process then into a finer mince, then make the shake.

I guess if other brands have the power and your happy with it then that's good.

I have uses other brands but found they lacked power. Mash potato into a fine cream - YumSoup - chunky or smooth - Yum yumMy shakes - Yummy and healthy

Thank you Bamix.

I Live in Australia and every state has a service center to repair my machine should something go wrong. There are service centers for most brands of appliances including Kenwood, Braun, kambrook, Breville and Bamix.

Have you written about your Vitamix disappointment elsewhere? I'd love to hear the details, since I've been looking forward to buying one in the distant future. (I've been disappointed by the Bamix, which is how I came across your page!)

I haven't yet, Erin! I plan to. I think a lot of it comes down to marketing rage, you know? And I'm glad (not glad?) someone else has had the same experience as me, as a lot of people are indignant they have not.

Well I have to disagree about the Bamix...we made peanut butter from peanuts in less than 2 minutes.Using the slicey we cut cucumbers lettuce and cabbage and carrots,then grated carrots and cheeseand chocolate.We made a smoothie then a milkshake then crushed ice then made ice cream.We ground coffee beans and rice into rice flour,sugar into icing sugar.Chppoed nuts easily.Made soup in the saucepan and because of the *sucking in* there was no splashes at all.We made mayo,chopped herbs.I loved it..now this machine was the most expensive but I have to say I was VERY impressed.Each to their own experience I guess

The BAMIX was very highly recommended by an acquaintance who had been through a bunch of other such appliances through the years. Hubbie bought her a BAMIX 15 years ago and she's passionate about it. I tried it out when making a very large batch of Caesar dressing for a public event. It was lightweight, very ergonomic to arthritic hands and had lightning speed. TOTALLY easy to clean. I am tossing my clumsy Wolfgang-Puck-That's-Always-Sucked & saving up for a BAMIX.

When I use my bamix, I prepare a tall beaker filled with soapy warm water and have it on the bench. When want to clean my bamix I put it in the beaker and give it a wiz and it is clean. It even cleans after mashed sweet potato. I need a new chopping blade cause I have worn it out!

bamix is great! not sure how your vegetables could be flying everywhere - are you not using the chopping attachment? the whipping blades aren't for chopping but you would think that would go without saying....

I LOVE Bamix - seriously it's one of the most practical kitchen tools I've ever come across. It can't do everything but it can do sooo much! And it's so small. My kitchen is not big so any space saving tricks are highly appreciated. Cleaning is a breeze. Some of the things I make on a regular basis: Smoothies (and if you've got the right container, you can drink from it straight away or cover with lid and have it as a take-away), pureeing soups straight in a pot (I only do it in stainless steel), pastes (garlic-giner), curries, pesto, tahini, hummus, as well as plenty of other dips that served with turkish bread are always a hit with friends and family. One of the most impressive things for me was mayo from the scratch in about 20 seconds! I use multi purpose blade most frequently but also find uses for other 2 blades I got in my set. I'm still learning about different things I can do with Bamix.

Pfft. If you don't like the Bamix you seriously don't have any idea of how to cook properly. The result with a Bamix far exceeds the competitors (who are starting to copy the design). I used to have another brand stick blender that would be used occasionally. Since I bought the Bamix, I use it almost daily

Hi there, this is my first time on this page, I just love reading reviews of kitchen "gadgets". I live in South Africa, and i'm a Chef Student. I've been to 2 expo's where the Bamix was ons show, I think it was the Swissline one, I have a Brabantia stick blender, and when I saw the Bamix i'm sure it was love at first sight. But 2 Chefs friends said that they have one but it broke within the first 6 months, and even though it has a life time warranty it is way to much trouble to get it fixed so it can break again, it is really expensive here, and i really wanted one, but after reading your review, I realized it is not much different then my Brabantia, lol my brabantia is just noisy when placed on the counter have you got any reviews about other items?? Like Kitchenaid products? Regards.

I love my Bamix, cannot cook without it and use it everyday. it has worked without a problem for over 15 years. As it was getting old and I did not want to be without a stick blender, I got another brand with various attachments. Used it once but did not like. It is languishing at the back of my cupboard. I bought myself a new bamix with new accessories and just enjoy using it everyday and I cook a lot.

You are right, they did NOT test the Bamix. And another unique thing about the Bamix is that it has metal gears, and as far as I know, it is still the only one out there that doesn't have plastic gears. Including Breville, sadly. I didn't have to read very far down in Amazon's Breville comment section to find someone complaining about melted gears on it. Sorry, I'm loving my Bamix and counting on using it for many years to come. It will probably outlive me. I believe that is worth a lot.

Wish I'd found your blog before I got my Bamix. It works OK, but that's it. Nowhere close to the sales pitch, doesn't even blend garlic cloves properly, takes three time as long to bend a pot of soup than any $50 hand bender, and then after 2 months I noticed a prong had mysteriously broken off, never found the piece that broke off. What a disappointment, and the customer service is so snooty, all they did was repeat that the Bamix is the best, most powerful, durable... over and over, like I was the problem.

When I asked, well what about the 10 year guarantee, they said, well that's only if it's faulty. I started feeling like I'd entered a time warp and landed up back in the 70s with awful customer service, awful shoes with ABBA providing the score. Which is when I hung up.

I dont entirely agree about the Bamix. Electronic tools are a last resort for me but I've been using the top of the range version for a couple of years. You can try using it for everything, but clearly it is never going to compete with a food processor or dedicated ice cream maker - it's not magic. I use it in a restuarant and never regretted buying it. Especially useful for vegan dishes, making pesto, soups, creaming cashews, bananna ice cream. Big time saver when preping. Recently used it lots with the blender accessory to making vegan date and almond based bases for chocolate tortes. Contrary to the comments, I really like who easy the stick is to clean. As soon as you've used it, i just reach over and stick it into the sink of soapy water, switch it on - job done. Ready for its next job that evening. At worst I wipe the shaft and underneat with a cloth but the design is open, smooth and simplifed to get all food off. There's no safety issue if you unplug the device before changing blades. Nothing in life is 100% risk free and there's no tool that can do everything great but Bamix mix is well made, looks nice and in my opinion does enough jobs very well to justify the purchase.

That's nonsense, Matt. Assuming a stick blender is a stick blender - not certainly intended to replace more professional, specialized and way more expensive kitchen tools - you're the only one I know who can't make satisfactory purées with a Bamix: that's quite like saying that you could not drive a Ferrari any faster than a Volkswagen Beetle. If I was you, I would try to conceal this sad truth rather than singing it from the roof. I'm not saying I don't believe what you said. The summary of your whining is, you could not do anything decent with a Bamix in your hands and you miss to understand how could all those folks out there pull out from the Bamix the fantastic job they all report. And far from suspecting you might be doing something wrong or very wrong, your conclusion is: I am the prototype of the perfect stick blender user, therefore they all must be paid by Bamix or delirating or fool or something. Yes Matt, yes.

As for the danger and the fact that you almost pulled your finger away... sorry for your finger Matt, but if you're really concerned abot safety, then let me tell you something: you should steer clear of a kitchen. If you find a Bamix dangerous, then I don't want to imagine what you could do with a knife in your hands... or a glass or a bottle... or a pan full of hot oil... or the flames of your hob, and so on. You know Matt: a kitchen is a place for many... but just not a place for everyone. Your arguments are so childish. Talking more seriously, you should consider subscribing to the restaurant around the corner and leaving kitchen tools to people who can manage them.With kind regards.

Made up a big quantity of hummus in the jug, inserted my trusty Bamix - zip, zilch! Nothing, not even a peep :( It's been my trusty sidekick for well over 25 years (possibly more...), bought at the Brisbane Ekka along with the food mill and attachment to hang it on the wall. It's been in for the odd repair or two in that time, but generally faultless. Only one speed available back then, but strong enough to do every job - caster sugar from sugar, coffee beans, bread crumbs, biscuit crumbs to make cheesecake bases, crushing ice and making smoothies, the best pesto ever, and blending soups to whatever consistency. A two second blitz in the sink & it's back on the wall ready to go next time... Except that now I might have to consider other options 'sigh'. It certainly sounds as though things are not being made to last...

I have had my Bamix since 1983 and it's fantastic. I use it for everything including making icing sugar out of regular sugar, mincing meat, mincing anything really, crushing ice, grinding coffee beans as well as whipping, beating, mixing etc. It does everything the manufacturer claims it does..

I am using a Bamix on a daily base, with pretty all of the accessories for over 4 years now and can absolutely not confirm what you are writing. Sounds more like you are not using it like it should be.

- Cleaning is the easiest thing, you put a little drop of soap in a glass of water, plunge the Bamix in it an run it shortly, then rinse, done. Where is the problem? I usually only have water running over it, when I just used it for a smoothie, what I do daily. For your information: no danger that you may ruin the Bamix with water, you can plunge it in a soup pot until just the buttons are over the liquid, the major part of the body can go in the liquid.

- What about your "big" security problem: anyone who is so stupid to leave the Bamix plugged in an then holds it at the upper part, where the buttons are, when changing the blade, is self responsible for possible consequences. I would recommend to use your brain and 1) pull the plug and that is what the Bamix booklet tells you to do or at least 2) hold it around the part that is connected to the plunging arm, even my very small hands can hold it safely that way, absolutely no risk to hurt you.

- I never had spare parts from greens flying around in the room and I chop carots quite often with it... Just asking myself how you did that

The Bamix is great for smoothies, to beat up cream for topping (it's much quicker and makes less mess than my Kitchenaid Artisan, when used correctly of course). The power is so high, that a friend of mine even had creme turn to butter. Yes you can make dough with it, but for me this makes little sense. I make almond milk with it, mayonnaise, purees, smoothies, quick shopped veggies and crushed ice as well as tuna-creme and much more. It's the most versatile part of my kitchen. There is one thing that does not work well: mincing meat does not work so well, but who cares, that is really not what it should be used for.

The accessories are no nonsense, they are great, but you need to understand how to use them. The food processor slices in different sizes. Its perfect for 1 or 2 people to make carot salad, slice cucumber and whatever, its very easy to clean and not to big, storage is not a head breaker.

The very small container with the blades (I had my fingers in there many times and never ever managed to hurt myself, handle it with care and its ok) is the best thing ever, but you need to get the point on how to use it... It's foreseen to chop stuff like parsley and other herbs in a wink and it perfectly does the job. Chopping almonds and nuts works very well either. With the special plastic cover you can pulverise almost everything like pepper, sugar (very usefull if you use brown raw sugar, as you will only find white pulverized sugar for sale), cinnamon (much better to buy it in sticks and pulverize it as needed)...

I would never want to give my Bamix away, I had quite a few other brands before and none of them was able to do even half of what the swiss brand can. Yes, it is expensive, but I have even seen some of them produced in the 1950's and they where still working. Don't forget either that you are located in the US, you pay a lot of transport fees. It's like the Kitchenaid stuff that cost much more here in Europe than in your place, you would be shocked. However, I would always try to avoid buying a lower line product, as such kind of items need maximum power and you need that to get a perfect result. Mine came with a BIG , very clear and nice book on how to use it in the best way, including many (and I really mean a whole lot of) recipes.

The review reminds me of comments I read concerning the Kitchenaid Artisan, where users have been heavily writing critics about different things, making themselves a fool, as they were clearly having only one problem: lack of knowledge of how to use the robot.

Haha! Hilarious post. And you so very well put your finger on the challenges with Bamix, and why it stays in my appliance drawer more than I wish. With a Christmas in a cottage coming up, I've just been experimenting with using my Bamix for a green smoothie. So far, very disappointing, but I'm not giving up, hence my foray onto the internet! Strands getting twisted around the blade which meant a potential finger slicing removal, or unplugging and trying to balance the thing while I performed that action. Not ideal when I already had the berries in! The kitchen counter became covered with gloop. And I've always found the washing with an electric cord trailing (I throw it over my shoulder) a bit dodgy! Still, it is a godsend for blending soup in a pan! Love how it does it. Before I twigged that I could use it for blending in a pan, I used to make soup in my pressure cooker, then decant it to my blender. Along the way, spilling everywhere. Now, that was a faff! But, maybe a cheaper stick blender would work just as well. I just happened to have the Bamix... Another thing I tried recently with the Bamix and it was successful was making a raw hazelnut pate kind of thing. Next up, I'm going to try raw sriracha and raw veggie hummus, cos those are staples I love to have on hand - also while travelling. They are so versatile and so darned delicious. So, the search continues for how I can use the Bamix for a mostly raw vegan (at the moment) way of eating. And for being able to continue to eat the way I like while travelling!

Hi, Besides all the comments nicer or not, I really believe that you and your boyfriend are cute. And thanks for review. I’m looking for an immersion blender for a long time and I don’t know what to choose : Bamix or Breville. Please tell me more about Breville. I’m very curious how is working after a while. Thank you

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Don't drive a car, take the bus.Be super careful when you use a hair dryer.Only use a washing machine with adult supervision.Give your Bamix to your neighbor - it will greatly improve your relationship.Using anything mechanical, have someone explain the directions to you.Seek a job as a politician.Never, ever go to court.When you have problem, the first place to look is in the mirror.

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